Sebastian Come Home
by Erin T. Aardvark
Summary: Feeling unwanted, Sebastian runs away from home
1. At the Beach

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fanfic is heavily based on the movie, "Snoopy Come Home." The J&tPC characters belong to Archie Comics and Hanna-Barbera. Other incidental characters belong to me. Though we may encounter a gray area later on in the fanfic, considering the appearance of "The Impossibles" character, Fluid Man (old habits die hard), going under the name I gave him, Franky McAlister, making this something of a pre-Impossibles story, in that regard._

* * *

Sebastian the cat was cat napping on a beach blanket on the warm sand while the Pussycats played a game of volleyball. He enjoyed these lazy summer days on the beach. Except when the volleyball was knocked out of bounds and whacked Sebastian on the head from time to time.

"It's your serve, Josie," Alan said, throwing the ball to Josie.

"I might've known Josie would end up on the same team as Alan," Alexandra complained. "And I'd get stuck with Melody and my dumb brother!"

"Come on, lighten up, Alexandra!" Josie shouted. "This is supposed to be fun!"

"Of course _you're_ having fun, Josie," Alexandra griped. "_You're_ on the same team as Alan, _and_ to top it all off, _your_ team has won every game we've played!"

"Not every game," Alan said.

"Yeah, out of the ten games we've played," Melody said, "we've beaten them twice."

"Like _that's_ some victory," Alexandra said. "I can beat all five of you on my own!"

"If that's the way you want it, sis," Alexander said. "Come on, Melody. Let's give my sister what she wants."

Alex and Melody ducked under the volleyball net and went over to the other side. Alexandra was ready for this. Josie served the ball, and Alexandra dove for it. She gave it a good swat, and it sailed over the net, bouncing against the sand.

"Hah!" she laughed. "Score one point for me."

Valerie picked up the ball and threw it over the net so Alexandra could serve it. Her serve went out of bounds, and bonked Sebastian on the head. Sebastian grumbled, and rolled the ball back over to the game. Then he got up, stretched, and walked over to see what was going on. Josie took the ball, and served. Alexandra ran for it, tripped on Sebastian, and fell to the ground, face first in the sand. The others tried hard not to laugh, but it was difficult. Sebastian, of course, snickered.

"Oooh, Sebastian!" Alexandra shouted. "You stupid cat! I oughta . . . ."

"Excuse me, kids," a man said, coming over to the group. "Sorry for interrupting your game, but is this your cat?"

"Yes this is my cat!" Alexandra shouted. "What of it?"

"I'm afraid he'll have to leave," the man said. "The management has a new rule. No pets allowed."

"No pets allowed?" Melody repeated. "Oh, but Sebastian's our friend! He's not just a pet!"

"Sorry, but those are the rules," the man said. "No pets allowed. Now either the cat leaves the beach, or you all leave the beach."

And with that, the man left. Sebastian grumbled. Alexandra picked up the volleyball and served it. The others just looked at her as if she were crazy. The ball landed on the sand.

"Score is two to one," Alexandra announced. "In favor of _me_! I told you clods I could beat you all!"

"Alexandra, what about Sebastian?" Valerie asked.

"What about him?" Alexandra asked. "Last time I checked, it was a free country and a public beach. They're probably kicking him off the beach because of what he did over there in that pile of sand by the snack bar. You know cats. To them, the beach is just one big litter box."

"I get the idea, sis," Alex said, looking a little sick at his sister's description.

"Maybe we should take Sebastian back to the car," Josie said. "He can wait for us there, can't he?"

"Come on," Alexandra said. "Let's just play the game! Leave Sebastian where he is!"

"But what if that man comes back and sees him on the beach?" Alex asked.

Alexandra did not acknowledge her brother, and served the ball. The others forgot about the discussion until the man came back, and picked up Sebastian by the scruff of his neck. He did not look very happy.

"No pets allowed," he said, dropping Sebastian into Alexandra's arms. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you."

"What?!" Alexandra shouted.

"There's a fifty dollar fine for pets on the beach."

"I won't pay it!"

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

Sebastian hissed, growled, and jumped onto the man, clawing and biting at him. The man tried to shake the cat off his arm. Alexandra started laughing at the scene, while the others were just standing there, not knowing what to think. Finally, the man yanked Sebastian off him, and plopped him right into Alexandra's arms.

"Very funny," he said. "Thanks to that little stunt, you kids are hereby banned from this beach!"

And that was all there was to that. Alexandra grumbled, and stalked off the beach with the others following her.

"You always get me into trouble, you stupid cat!" Alexandra yelled at her pet. "You never do anything right! I give you a home, I give you food, I give you attention, and what thanks do I get?! Nothing! Do you realize that if it wasn't for me, you'd still be locked up in a cage at the animal shelter, meowing your head off trying to get a home?! If I hadn't come along, nobody would have adopted you! And I don't even know _why_ I adopted you in the first place! Nobody wants a scruffy old alley cat like you!"

"Take it easy, Alexandra," Josie said. "Sebastian can't help being a cat."

"Hmph!" Alexandra groused.


	2. Bad Mood Rising

Things didn't blow over later. Sebastian did not appreciate what Alexandra had said to him, and that put him in a bad mood. So he decided to take a nap on Alex's easy chair in the den of the Cabot Estate. However, Sebastian was not allowed on that chair (mainly because it was a white chair and Sebastian shed black fur all over it), but that never stopped him. As Sebastian was napping, Alex came into the room, planning on sitting down and watching TV. He did not realize Sebastian was sitting in his chair. There is an unwritten rule about cat ownership that says "Always Look Before You Sit." Though sometimes, that rule was forgotten. This was one of those times. Alex sat down, right on Sebastian.

"MEOW!" Sebastian shrieked.

"Yikes!" Alex yelped as he shot out of the chair. He looked down and saw Sebastian sitting there, hissing at him.

"Sebastian!" Alex shouted. "Come on, get off my chair! You know you're not allowed on it!"

Alex reached for Sebastian, but the cat hissed, and dug his claws into the chair. Alex reached his hand underneath Sebastian's stomach, and picked him up, unhooking the cat's claws with his other hand. Then he put him on the floor. Sebastian growled, arched his back, and hissed.

"Beat it, Sebastian," Alex said, as he gave the cat a shove in the side with his foot. Sebastian glared, jumped up, and stomped on Alex's foot as hard as he could.

"Yeow!" Alex yelled, jumping to his feet. In a lightning quick move, Sebastian moved to the chair. He snickered and made himself comfortable.

"Okay, cat, you asked for it," Alex said. He grabbed Sebastian by the scruff of the neck, yanked him off the chair, and dropped him to the floor. Sebastian growled, and made an attempt to jump on the chair, but Alex stomped on the cat's tail before he could.

"Don't even think about it!" he shouted.

"YEEEEP!" Sebastian shrieked, and he began licking his tail (the "Dignity Lick"). That did it. Nobody messed with Sebastian's tail and got away with it! He crouched down, used his claw to split his pant leg slightly, and then . . . . .

CHOMP!

"Yeeeouuuuch!" Alex yelled.

But Sebastian wasn't finished there. After he chomped Alex's left leg, he moved to the right. He stood up on his hind legs, dug his claws in, and raked them down Alex's leg.

"_YEEEAAAUUGGHHH_!" Alex shrieked at the top of his voice. Not even Sebastian was expecting _that_! He soon saw why Alex screamed so loud. The claw marks were bleeding, and so were the bite marks. Sebastian knew he was in trouble now, and he ran, but he wasn't fast enough. Alex took off one of his shoes, and hurled it at Sebastian. It was a direct hit, right in the cat's head.

BONK!

"Stupid cat!" Alex yelled.

After Sebastian composed himself, he decided to leave the Cabot Estate for awhile. It would give the twins some time to calm down. He knew where to head for next: Melody's house. He knew Melody could never resist a cute and cuddly animal. Especially not Sebastian, if he made himself lovable. When he reached Melody's house, he crawled in through an open window.

"Hi, Sebastian!" Melody said, happily.

Sebastian crawled over to Melody and began to purr. Melody was sitting cross legged on the floor, knitting a small, pink sweater. It was too small to be for herself, Josie, Valerie, Alexandra, or the boys. As a matter of fact, Sebastian found it was about the same size as something he did not like from Melody. He was sure she was knitting a pink kitty sweater. Melody always gave Sebastian a kitty sweater she knitted herself for Christmas, and Sebastian hated them with a passion. Last year, Melody had knitted a red and green striped kitty sweater for him, with a goofy looking smiling cat on the front of it. Sebastian found that particular one degrading. However, it was nowhere near Christmas, but Sebastian was not going to take that chance. He crept up to Melody's pink ball of yarn, and swatted at it. Melody merely giggled.

"Oh, it's so cute how cats play with balls of yarn," she said.

Then Sebastian picked it up in his mouth, and ran as fast as he could.

"Sebastian! Stop!" Melody shouted, as she realized Sebastian was unravelling the sweater as he was running. When the cat finally stopped, the sweater had unravelled completely, and was now off the knitting needles. To make sure Sebastian would never get a pink kitty sweater, he began to shred the yarn with his claws, making it impossible to knit. Melody looked positively furious.

"Oh Sebastian!" she yelled. "Look what you've done! I'll never finish that sweater for I promised for Mrs. Olsen by Saturday!"

Mrs. Olsen was one of the neighbors. Melody often baby-sat for her kids. Recently, Mrs. Olsen gave birth to a baby girl, and Melody had promised to knit a sweater for the baby.

_Oops_, Sebastian thought.

"Now I'll have to start all over again!" Melody shouted, grabbing her purse. "You're a bad cat, Sebastian! A _very_ bad cat! Shame on you!"

And upon that sour note, Melody left her house, slamming the door behind her. Sebastian decided to head home himself. When he got there, he found Alexandra in her bathroom with Alex, applying hydrogen peroxide to the areas where Sebastian had clawed and bit him.

"Ow!" Alex shouted. "Take it easy with that stuff, will ya, sis?!"

"Then hold still!" Alexandra ordered. "You want to get an infection? I still can't believe Sebastian bit you that hard."

"Well, he did. I didn't even know he could scratch that deep, either."

"Me neither. I just hope the maid'll be able to get the blood stains out of the carpet in the den before Mother sees it and flips out!"

"What'd Dad say?"

"Daddy is not happy about this. He wants to take Sebastian to the vet's tomorrow for an examination. Besides, the darn cat is probably overdue for a couple of shots, anyway."

"Let me tell you something, sis, that stupid cat of yours is becoming nothing but a nuisance!"

"You said it, brother!"

Sebastian growled under his breath. He could take a hint. He knew when he wasn't wanted. He decided to do them all a favor. He snuck out his cat door in the kitchen, ran around to the front of the house, and went out the front gate.

And he kept right on walking.


	3. Suburban Jungle

Sebastian spent hours walking around. He didn't know where he was going, and he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. One thing was for sure, it was obvious the Pussycats didn't want to have him around anymore. But he figured they'd be sorry for treating him badly. They'd be sorry when they landed themselves into a mess and didn't have "Good Ol' Sebastian" to bail them out of it, like he often did. And he didn't care if he ever saw any of them ever again. He'd just find himself a new home. And he figured that shouldn't be too hard.

Sebastian wandered into a suburban neighborhood, which looked like something straight out of a _Leave It to Beaver_ rerun: ranch houses, and white picket fences. It was a nice, quiet place, very calm, very simple. Sebastian could get to like a place like this! Surely, there would be _some_one around here who would take in a lost little kitty. His first stop was a house on the corner of the street. An elderly lady was outside, sweeping her front porch. Sitting in the window was a bird cage, with a little yellow canary sitting inside of it. Sebastian licked his chops. He was getting hungry. He decided to forget trying to appeal to the lady's sympathy, and try to get a snack instead. And this old lady wouldn't even notice. She was too absorbed in sweeping her porch. Sebastian went into what he referred to as "Stalker Mode," and crawled into the lady's yard, and dove into a nearby bush. Then, he crept onto the porch, and stood on his hind legs. He reached for the cage, and tried to grab the canary, but he ended up getting whacked in the head with a broom.

"You brute! You beast! You savage monster!" the old lady shouted, whacking Sebastian with every word she said.

Sebastian immediately took off like a shot. Obviously, that old biddy was a cat hater. Sebastian grumbled like Muttley from the _Dastardly and Muttley_ cartoons, and stalked off. He walked around a little more, until he began to smell something not too far away, and it was making his mouth water. It smelled like hot dogs on a grill. He tracked the scent down, and came to another house, where someone was having a cookout. Sebastian once again licked his chops, and squeezed under the fence. No one was around, so he went right to the grill, and grabbed a hot dog off of it in his mouth. Unfortunately, before he could run off with it, the door opened, and a woman with bright red hair in an enormous bouffant, a hot pink leopard print shirt, electric green pants, and green cat's eye glasses came out into the yard. She was followed by a balding, fat middle aged man wearing a white T-shirt, Bermuda shorts, and sandals with black socks.

_Tacky much? _Sebastian thought when he saw them.

"HAROLD!" the woman screamed. "There's a cat in our yard!"

"Don't worry, Agnes," Harold said. "Ol' Butch will get it. Sic 'im, Butch!"

Sebastian heard growling nearby, and turned to look. Coming out of a dog house was a big, mean looking bulldog. And this dog obviously disliked cats with a passion. Sebastian panicked, and took off like a shot, leaving the hot dogs behind. He ran about five blocks, and then stopped to catch his breath. He was just thankful the dog hadn't followed him. Sebastian decided to try another house. The next one he found had two teenagers, a boy and a girl, sitting on the front porch swing. Sebastian figured this was going to be easy. Teenage girls _love _cute little animals. He turned on the charm, and went right up to the porch.

"Meow," he said, trying to sound adorable. The two teenagers looked down at him.

"A cat!" the boy shouted, and then he started sneezing. "Janie, get rid of it!"

"Shoo! Shoo, get out of here!" Janie shouted, kicking at Sebastian. "Go on, you ugly old flea bag! Go away! You're disturbing Todd's allergy!"

"Scram, furball!" Todd shouted, getting up, and kicking Sebastian in the rear. Then he sneezed. "Why are cats always attracted to people who are allergic to them?!"

Sebastian growled, and kept right on going down the street. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go.

Meanwhile, Alex and Alexandra were practically tearing apart the Cabot Estate, looking for Sebastian.

"Heeeerrrrre kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!" Alex called out, as he looked under the couch and the chairs in the den.

"Sebastian, come out here now!" Alexandra demanded. "Where is that stupid cat?!"

"Probably hiding from us," Alex said with a shrug. "I don't think we're his favorite people right about now. I mean, you yelled at him for no reason."

"He got us kicked off the beach!"

"No he didn't. _You_ did! You can't go on blaming others for things you've done, Alexandra!"

"And I suppose that condones the fact that you stepped on his tail, _on purpose_, and then tossed your shoe at his head?"

"He was sitting in my chair, and he knows he's not allowed on it! Besides, what else was I supposed to do after he tore my legs to shreds?"

"Just shut up, and keep looking!"

Alex shrugged, and checked the west wing while Alexandra looked in the east wing. Alex went to the library and began to take books off the shelf, throwing them on the floor. Sometimes, Sebastian liked to hide behind the books in there, just to drive Alexandra crazy. Neither of the twins liked it when Sebastian played his version of "Hide and Seek," which is exactly what this was. There was someone else who didn't like Sebastian's "Hide and Seek," and that was the twins' father, Alexander Cabot, II. He happened to walk into the library, and he saw Alex grabbing books off the shelves and throwing them to the floor.

"Let me guess," he said. "The cat's playing hide and seek again."

"Looks like it," Alex replied.

"My guess is he's trying to avoid that trip to the V-E-T-S tomorrow."

Alex nodded. He knew why his father was spelling the word, just in case Sebastian was around, although it was futile, since Sebastian was a very clever cat, and he knew exactly what V-E-T-S spelled.

Alex and Alexandra kept up the search for hours. When they finally searched every single room of the Estate and came up with nothing (and making one gigantic mess in the process), they called Alan, Josie, Valerie, and Melody, asking them if they had seen Sebastian. None of them had, but they agreed to come over and help look for him. After a thorough search of the yard turned up nothing, they decided to take their search on the road. They left the Cabot Estate and began walking around, calling out Sebastian's name, and yelling out "here kitty, kitty, kitty" over and over again. Alexandra had found one of Sebastian's toy plastic balls with a bell inside of it, and shook it as she walked around, calling for him. They kept this up for hours.

"It's starting to get dark," Josie said. "Let's call it a night, gang. We'll continue the search tomorrow."

"Yeah, you know how cats like to prowl at night," Valerie said. "Why don't you just leave him alone, Alexandra? He'll come back when he's good and ready."

"Just like Little Bo Peep who lost her sheep," Melody said with a giggle. "Sebastian will come home if you leave him alone, wagging his tail behind him."

"Oh brother," Alexandra said, rolling her eyes. "Well, I'll put some food on the front porch for him, just in case he comes back."

"Good idea," Alan said. Then the gang split up and went home.

"Don't worry, sis," Alex said. "I'm sure Sebastian's out having the time of his life."


	4. Tough Tom

Sebastian's wanderings took him downtown to the city. This definitely was going to be a challenge. The sidewalks were full of people, each absorbed in their own business. They took no notice of the tuxedo feline. Sebastian had to do a lot of ducking and dodging to avoid being stepped on. And even then, it still didn't do him much good.

"MEOW!" he screeched, just as someone stepped on his tail, but the person who did it wasn't paying any attention.

Sebastian stopped for a moment, and began to catch his breath. As he was standing there, he was approached by a little boy, about two or three years old, walking with his mother. The boy stopped, and began petting Sebastian gently. Sebastian began to purr, rubbing up against the child, figuring this would work out nicely, but the boy's mother grabbed her son, causing Sebastian to fall over sideways. _Whump!_

"Don't touch that!" she shouted, giving Sebastian a slight kick. "You don't know where it's been! It's probably full of fleas and parasites!"

Sebastian walked off, glaring at the woman, and grumbling. He didn't like to be referred to as an "it." Then he stuck his nose in the air, and walked off, with as much dignity as he could muster.

_Hmph!_ he thought. _Fleas and parasites indeed!_

Sebastian walked around a little more, and then wandered through back alleys, and began digging into trashcans. He was starving. He opened the lid to one, took one sniff, and immediately closed it.

"Eeesh!" he groaned, wrinkling his nose. It smelled like something crawled into that trashcan and died! He tried another can. This one didn't smell as bad, but it was still pretty disgusting in there.

Sebastian didn't have any choice. He began digging through the can when he heard hissing and growling coming from behind some of the other cats. Sebastian gulped, and dared to look. Standing before him were at least five tom cats, at least twice Sebastian's size, and all of them looked mean. They were hissing, growling, and spitting at him. Sebastian arched his back, bared his claws and fangs, and hissed and growled right back at them.

"Listen here, kitty-kitty," the largest of them said. "This is _our_ turf, see? We don't like no strangers on _our_ turf!"

Sebastian began backing away, but these cats weren't going to let him off the hook that easy. They all growled, and pounced, and Sebastian took off like a shot across the street. Unfortunately, the tom cats followed him, and cornered him in a dead end. Sebastian reached into a trashcan, pulled out an old, torn handkerchief, tied it to the end of his tail, and waved it in front of the alley cats, letting them know he was surrendering. But the alley cats weren't buying it. All five of them jumped on Sebastian, and the fur was flying. Sebastian bit, clawed, hissed, howled, yowled, and did everything he could to fight back, but it wasn't doing much good. Finally, Sebastian managed to get out from the fight, and took off running. The other cats chased him. Sebastian was about to round the corner, when he suddenly jerked to a stop. A big, orange tom cat wearing a green sweatshirt and a black derby was holding him by his tail.

"Hold it a minute," he said. "What's all the hubbub, bub?"

Sebastian pointed behind him, and began meowing, and then he tried to pull his tail from the tom cat's grip.

"Yeah, I figured," the tom cat said. "Another pampered pussycat trying to play with the big boys, eh? Stand back, kid, I'll take care of this."

The tom cat let go of Sebastian's tail, and approached the other five cats, arched his back, and growled. The other cats skid to a halt.

"Yeep!" the leader squeaked. "It's Tough Tom!"

"Why don't youse mugs pick on somebody your own size?" Tough Tom asked.

"Uhh, sorry, Tom," the leader said. "We didn't know he was with you! Come on, guys, let's scram outta here!"

And with that, the five cats took off in the opposite direction. Tough Tom stood up on his hind legs, and brushed his front paws together, like they were hands. Then he got down on all fours, and turned to Sebastian.

"Stick with me, Blackie," he said. "It's safer that way. Not one alley cat in these parts dares mess with Tough Tom. Come on, let's go get some grub."

Tough Tom began walking off, and Sebastian followed. After all, he was starving!

"Hope youse ain't picky, Blackie," Tough Tom said. "Because there ain't much to choose from out here. Bein' an alley cat ain't all it's cracked up to be. You never know where your next meal is gonna come from."

Sebastian merely nodded, and followed Tough Tom to a trashcan. He was right, though, there wasn't much in there, at least not much that Sebastian would have liked. He was used to fancy canned cat food, but he knew he wasn't going to get that here. As he and Tough Tom were going through the trashcans, a roll of thunder was heard.

"Uh oh," Tough Tom said. "Rain's coming. Sounds like a downpour. Come on, Blackie."

Tough Tom ran off, and Sebastian followed. The two cats ducked into an alley, and inside an old cardboard box.

"We'll wait in here until the storm's over," Tough Tom said. "Welcome to the life of a street cat, Blackie."

"Mrrroowww," Sebastian grumbled. Thunder crashed loudly, and he nearly leapt five feet in the air. One thing was for sure, this wasn't the life for him!

Meanwhile, Alexandra was sitting in the music room of the Cabot Estate, playing an arpeggio on the piano, aimlessly. Alex walked in, and leaned against the door.

"Not bad, sis," he said, teasingly. "Learn a few more songs, and I might talk Josie into letting you join the group. Ha, ha, ha!"

Alexandra didn't answer. Alex then noticed she was staring out the window as she played. The rain seemed to be pouring down in buckets, and the thunder practically rattled the windows.

"I get it," he said, coming into the room, and sitting on the piano bench next to his sister. "You're worried about Sebastian, aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Alexandra shouted. "What makes you so sure that I am?"

"Because normally you'd throttle me for making a wisecrack about your music. Face it, sis, you and I read each other like books!"

"All right, all right. So I _am_ worried. I mean, what am I supposed to think? He hasn't come home yet, and normally, with a storm like this, he'd be inside faster than a turbo jet!"

"Maybe he's madder at us than we think. But I'm sure by tomorrow, he'll be on his way back."

"I hope so. He wouldn't last one day out there on the streets, that's for sure!"

Alex nodded, and began tapping some of the piano keys. It was about all he could do.


	5. The Morning After

Morning rolled around. The storm had lasted practically all night. The minute the sun came up, Alexandra practically jumped out of bed, grabbed her robe, and threw it on as she dashed down the stairs to the front door.

"Sebastian!" she called out. There wasn't any answer. The bowl of cat food Alexandra had left on the porch had gone untouched.

"Stupid cat," she muttered, as she walked back inside, and slammed the door shut.

"Not back yet, huh?" Alex asked.

"What was your first clue?" Alexandra said, glaring at her brother.

"Well, maybe he's out somewhere in the yard. Come on."

Alex grabbed his sister's hand, and practically dragged her out the front door. The two of them searched the front yard with the proverbial fine tooth comb, shaking Sebastian's cat toys, and calling for him, but they didn't get any answer.

"Wait a second," Alex said, snapping his fingers. "I know what he's doing!"

"What's that?" Alexandra asked, giving Alex a skeptical look.

"What time was Dad gonna take Sebastian to the vet?"

"About ten o' clock, why?"

"How much you want to bet Sebastian won't make an appearance until about an hour _after_ his vet appointment?"

"You know something, brother, I think you're actually right. All we have to do is wait."

"Exactly."

Alexandra nodded, and she and Alex went back inside the mansion.

Back in the alley, Sebastian was just waking up. He yawned, stretched, and walked out of that cardboard box he and Tough Tom had been sleeping in. He approached the curb and looked around, when a huge box truck came zooming by. It barreled right through a puddle in the street, and drenched Sebastian completely.

"Sheesh!" Sebastian groaned.

"Mornin' Blackie," Tough Tom said, walking up next to him. "I see you got yourself a shower. That's par for the course around here after it rains."

"Rowr," Sebastian grumbled, and then shook himself dry, causing his fur to poof out a little. Sebastian growled, and began licking himself to straighten it out.

"That's what separates the tough alley cats from the pampered pussy cats," Tough Tom said. "Face it, Blackie. You ain't alley cat material."

Sebastian meowed, and nodded in agreement. He definitely _wasn't_ meant for life on the city streets, that was for sure!

"Come on, kid," Tough Tom said. "You need to get out of the city, and into the suburbs. People in the city won't give ya a second look. You'll have a better chance to find someone to take ya in."

_Wanna bet?_ Sebastian thought. After all, he was already in the suburbs, and he was treated like dirt.

"Follow me, Blackie," Tough Tom said. "I'll take you to the edge of the city, so you won't get your clock cleaned."

Sebastian meowed, and followed Tough Tom down the city streets. _Any_thing to get out of this rat race!

At the Cabot Estate, the large grandfather clock in the main hall chimed at eleven thirty. Alexandra had been sitting in the library, reading a book when she heard it. She checked her watch, put her book down, stood up, and walked into the music room. Alex was sitting at the piano, plunking some keys, and writing on a notepad.

"It's eleven thirty," Alexandra said. "Do you know where my cat is?"

"You're kidding," Alex said. "An hour and a half after he missed his appointment at the vet's, I figure he'd be back by now!"

"Well, he's not."

"Give him another fifteen minutes."

Alexandra sighed, and walked out of the room. Exactly fifteen minutes later, Alexandra returned to her brother with the report.

"Not yet?" Alex asked.

"No," Alexandra said. "Any other brilliant ideas, Sherlock?"

"Let's go call the rest of the gang."

Alex then ran to the phone, and began calling the others. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Cabot Estate.

"This just isn't like Sebastian at all," Alexandra said. "He should have been home by now!"

"Maybe Sebastian needed a change of pace," Melody said. "Maybe he was bored and decided to take a vacation."

"Maybe he's still mad at me for stomping on his tail," Alex said, shrugging. "Or maybe it's over what you said to him the other day, sis."

"Oh come off it!" Alexandra shouted.

"Hey . . . ." Melody said. "That's it. He probably thinks we don't like him anymore. After all, I yelled at him when he grabbed the yarn I was using to knit a sweater. You know how cats are with yarn."

"Yeah, but he _did_ ruin the sweater you were making," Valerie pointed out. "Which is why you yelled at him."

"Still . . . . ." Melody said.

"I don't really care why Sebastian hasn't come back yet," Alexandra said. "All I care about is getting him back!"

"Right," Alan said. "But the question is how are we going to do it?"

"I've got an idea," Valerie said. "Alexandra, find me a good, recent photo of Sebastian. We'll use it to make some posters."

"And while you're doing that," Josie said, "the rest of us will start looking around town again."

"Okay, let's go," Alan said, and the group split up.

While the group searched for Sebastian, the tuxedo feline and his orange friend made it into another suburban area, different from the one Sebastian had encountered before. He and Tough Tom stopped once they reached a street light.

"Well, here ya go, Blackie," he said. "You shouldn't have any problems here. I've found the people in this neighborhood to be quite generous."

"Meow?" Sebastian asked, giving Tough Tom a strange look.

"I know whatcha thinkin', Blackie," the ginger tomcat said. "Why don't I find myself a nice home, right?"

"Meow!"

"Yeah, the settlin' down bit ain't my scene, ya see. I get my kicks in the alleys, keepin' the big bullies in their place. It's a, if you'll pardon the expression, dog eat dog world out there, Blackie. In any case, good luck out there, kid."

"Meow!"

Sebastian and Tough Tom shook paws, and Sebastian went off toward the neighborhood, while Tough Tom went back to the alley.

Sebastian walked around the neighborhood, looking for someone who looked like they would give a poor, lost little kitty cat a home. The first person he saw was a little girl, about five years old, digging in the dirt with a plastic bucket and shovel. Sebastian figured he'd start small. Animals were always big hits with kids. He approached the little girl, and sat down in front of her.

"Meow," he said. The little girl stared at him for a moment, and then she suddenly grabbed him by the neck.

"Mommy! Hey Mommy!" she shouted, jumping up and running into her house. "Look what I found, Mommy!"

"_Gaaakkkkhhhh!_" Sebastian choked, as the girl practically dragged him into the house.


	6. Breakfast at Tiffany's

The little girl raced into her house, holding Sebastian in her arms, though only his upper body was being held. Sebastian found this highly uncomfortable.

"Mommy, Mommy, look at what a pretty cat I found!" the girl shouted. "Can I keep him, huh? Please, Mommy, please can I keep him, huh, please?"

"I don't know, Tiffany," the girl's mother said.

"Oh _pleeeeeeeeze_ Mommy!" Tiffany shouted, squeezing Sebastian.

"_Herrrrrk_!" Sebastian choked, as he tried to pull himself out from Tiffany's killer grip. It was worse than one of Alex's "death grips!"

"Oh all right," Tiffany's mother said. "You can keep him."

"Yaaaayyyy!" Tiffany shouted. "Now I'd better give you a good name. I think I'll call you . . . . . . Mr. Fluffybottom!"

"Bleah!" Sebastian shouted, making a face.

"I'm glad you like your new name, Mr. Fluffybottom!" Tiffany shouted. "Now I'm gonna give you a bath!"

_A bath?!_ Sebastian thought, getting a panicked look on his face. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to take off running. Tiffany dragged him up the stairs.

Once in the bathroom, Tiffany closed the door, and began to fill the bathtub with water and bubble bath. Then she picked up Sebastian, and dropped him in.

"_Reeeeee!_" Sebastian shrieked, and promptly jumped out as fast as he could. But Tiffany caught him, and dumped him in again.

"Now don't be difficult, Mr. Fluffybottom!" she scolded. Once Sebastian was in the bathtub again, Tiffany took a sponge, and began scrubbing Sebastian as hard as she could.

"My kitty has to be squeaky clean!" she shouted.

_Doesn't this stupid kid know that cats bathe themselves?!_ Sebastian thought, as Tiffany practically scrubbed him raw.

Once Tiffany was done scrubbing Sebastian, she took him out of the bathtub, and sat him on the floor. Then she grabbed the hair dryer, and turned it on, in order to dry Sebastian. Sebastian didn't like this at all. The minute Tiffany turned off the blow dryer . . . . .

FOOF!

Sebastian's fur poofed out completely. He looked like a giant black and white marshmallow.

"Sheesh . . . ." he groaned.

Tiffany then picked up Sebastian and took him into her room, closing the door behind her. Then she began digging through her toy box, while Sebastian began licking himself, in order to straighten out his fur, grumbling.

"Okay, Mr. Fluffybottom!" Tiffany shouted. "I've got a surprise for you!"

Sebastian dared to look, and saw what Tiffany had in mind. He let out a screech, and took off running. Unfortunately, with the door closed, he couldn't get out, not even when he jumped up and tried to use the doorknob. The next thing he knew, he was sitting in a baby carriage, wearing a frilly pink doll dress with matching bonnet.

_How humiliating!_ he thought as Tiffany pushed him up and down the sidewalk.

"Isn't this fun, Mr. Fluffybottom?" Tiffany asked. "And we're gonna be bestest best friends forever and ever and ever and ever . . . . ."

The very thought of _that_ made Sebastian feel a bit sick to his stomach. Immediately, he jumped out of the carriage, and began running as fast as he could.

"Mr. Fluffybottom!" Tiffany shouted, as she chased after Sebastian.

Sebastian ran as fast as he could, trying to allude this girl, only to wind up running back inside the house. He ran into Tiffany's parents' room, and managed to take off the dress and bonnet.

"Yeecchhh!" he shouted, kicking them aside. Pink was definitely _not_ his color!

"Mr. Fluffybottom!" he heard Tiffany call from downstairs. "Where arrre yooouuu?"

"Yipe!" Sebastian shouted, and he darted under the bed. He heard Tiffany run upstairs, and down the hall.

"Come on out Mr. Fluffybottom!" she called as she came into the bedroom.

Sebastian froze. He hoped Tiffany wouldn't look under the bed! Unfortunately, he wasn't completely hidden. His tail was sticking out, but he didn't realize this until Tiffany grabbed it, and pulled.

"Here you are!" she shouted.

"REEEEEOOOOWWWW!" Sebastian shrieked. He dug his claws into the carpet, but Tiffany managed to pull him out from under the bed, and drag him down the hall.

"That was naughty running away like that, Mr. Fluffybottom," she said, dragging Sebastian into her room. This time, though, before she could close the door, Sebastian managed to zip out of the room.

"No fair!" Tiffany shouted. "Where are you going this time, Mr. Fluffybottom?"

Tiffany chased Sebastian down the stairs, and into the living room. Sebastian was looking over his shoulder to see how close Tiffany was, but he should have been watching where he was going. He wound up running into an end table, knocking it over, along with a vase.

CRASH!

But Tiffany continued to chase Sebastian around. Sebastian leapt onto another table, and knocked over a lamp. He jumped onto a piano, ran across the keys, and knocked over a vase full of flowers that was on it. Finally, he climbed up the curtains. Tiffany grabbed him by his tail again, and tried pulling him down. Sebastian began howling and yowling, digging his claws into the curtains, tearing them as Tiffany pulled.

"What in the world is going on in here?!" Tiffany's mother shouted as she came into the room, upon hearing the commotion. She saw the state of the room, as well as Sebastian clinging to the curtains, and gasped.

"Look at this mess!" she shouted. She stormed over to the window, grabbed Sebastian, unhooked his claws, and started toward the front door.

"I'm getting this thing out of my house!" she shouted.

"But Mommy . . . . ." Tiffany started.

"No buts!" her mother argued. "He's too wild! Just look what he did to my brand new curtains! He has _got_ to go!"

"Meow!" Sebastian cried happily. As soon as Tiffany's mother opened the front door, Sebastian gave her the biggest smooch on the lips he could muster, and took off like a shot.

Elsewhere, Valerie and Alexandra were putting up posters on the telephone poles. The posters had Sebastian's picture on them, and they read "Missing: black and white tuxedo cat. Answers to Sebastian. If found, contact Cabot Estate immediately."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Alexandra asked.

"Do you have any better ideas about how to find Sebastian?" Valerie asked.

Alexandra didn't say anything. She just tacked a poster to a phone pole. As they were doing that, Alex and Melody came their way.

"Did you guys have any luck?" Valerie asked.

"None," Alex sighed.

"It's like he just disappeared into thin air!" Melody said, shrugging. "Poof!"

"Hi, everybody," Alan said, as he and Josie came up the street from the opposite direction.

"Did you find him?" Josie asked.

"Does it look like we found him?!" Alexandra snapped.

"Take it easy, sis, she just asked!" Alex shouted.

"Here!" Alexandra shouted, shoving a stack of posters at Alex. "Make yourself useful! Start putting these up!"

"We'll all help," Josie said, as she, Alan, and Melody took some of the posters. "Don't worry, Alexandra. I'm sure Sebastian will come home soon."

Alexandra didn't answer. She just took her stack of posters, and walked off down the street.

While putting up the posters, Alex and Melody came across the pet store. There were about six kittens in the window, meowing, and playing. Alex and Melody stopped, and watched them.

"Oh, look!" Melody shouted, giggling. "Aren't they precious?"

"Yeah," Alex said, nodding.

"Alex, look!" Melody shouted. "There's one in the back that looks a little like Sebastian!"

Alex looked, and found that Melody was right. It was black with white feet, but it didn't have a white tip at the end of his tail, and it's face was completely white. It was batting at the tail of a gray tabby. Then the tabby smacked the black and white one with it's paw, and the two of them began wrestling.

"Awww, how adorable!" Melody giggled.

"Kinda reminds me of when Sebastian was a kitten," Alex said with a laugh. "Well, if we don't find him, we'll know where we can get a replacement."

"Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how long have you guys had Sebastian?"

"Oh, geez . . . . . I don't know, exactly. I know Alexandra got him when he was still a kitten, though."

"Then you've had him for a long time. When you've had a pet that long, they're not just pets. They're family. I mean, would you want to replace a member of your own family?"

"If it were my sister, I might."

"Alex_an_der!"

"I'm kidding, Melody! I'm kidding! And I see your point. After all, we _have_ had Sebastian for awhile, and I think you're right. We just _can't_ replace him just like that."

"Right. Come on, let's keep going."


	7. Sebastian's Samba

Sebastian wandered into a park. Since it was summer, there were several kids at the playground. After his experience with Tiffany, he decided to avoid them. There were little old ladies with bags of popcorn, tossing it to the pigeons. Sebastian watched the fat gray birds (and were they ever _fat_!), and licked his chops. He was starting to get hungry. But he remembered what happened to him when he tried to get that canary, and he didn't want to repeat _that_ performance, that was for sure!

Sebastian continued wandering around the park. He saw a hot dog vendor and an ice cream cart, but he highly doubted they would serve a cat. Still, he figured he'd give it a shot. But instead of going into the "adorably cute, cuddly, kitty" routine, he crawled up to the hot dog vendor on his stomach, coughing, wheezing, and gasping for breath. He called this the "starving-to-death" routine. The hot dog vendor noticed him, and watched, as Sebastian crawled up to him, coughed, wheezed, and hacked like he hadn't eaten for a year. Then Sebastian grabbed his throat, gave a final cough, and threw himself to the ground, flat on his back with all four paws in the air.

"Nice try, cat," the vendor said, as he started pushing his cart away. "You're the fifth one to pull that routine on me today. I ain't gonna buy it. Now am-scray!"

Sebastian sat up, and began mumbling like Muttley again. Then he began walking off. As he was walking (and his stomach was growling), he came across a couple of birds, such as sparrows, robins, and the like.

_Lunchtime!_ he thought, and he immediately went into "stalker mode." He slowly snuck up on the birds, and then pounced. But the minute he did, the birds scattered, and Sebastian wound up landing face first in the dirt. Several of the birds laughed, and Sebastian tried to grab at them, but they flew just out of his reach. Finally, Sebastian gave up, flopping down to the ground on his stomach. He was too tired and too hungry to go on. Then he put his paws over his eyes, and started wailing. One of the birds flew down and chirped at him, but Sebastian was too tired to even make a swipe.

Some of the birds began to feel sorry for the poor cat. They huddled, and began chirping. Once they were finished with their conference, a sparrow flew down from the tree branch, and whispered something in Sebastian's ear. Sebastian sat up, and nodded. A robin began whistling a samba then. A woodpecker joined in by pecking a tree to the beat. Sebastian stood up on his hind legs, and began to dance. This drew the attention of several people, and they all gathered around to watch the dancing cat. Once it was over, everyone applauded, and Sebastian took a couple of bows, before collapsing in a breathless heap. That samba took a lot out of him. A girl of about ten, with blond hair in a ponytail, a white T-shirt, hot pink jeans, sneakers, and baseball cap picked him up.

"Poor little guy," she said. "I know exactly what you need!"

The girl carried Sebastian to the ice cream cart, and bought a vanilla ice cream cone.

"Here you go, kitty," she said. Sebastian sniffed at the cone, and immediately began licking it, though he practically inhaled it.

"Boy, you act like you haven't eaten in weeks!" the girl laughed. She then carried Sebastian over to the hot dog vendor, and bought a hot dog for him. Sebastian got up on the cart, and added a couple of condiments to it, such as mustard and relish. He gulped that down in one swallow.

"Poor little kitty," the girl said, petting him. "Don't you have a home?"

"Meow," Sebastian said, shaking his head.

"Then you can come home with me!" the girl said. "I'll take care of you!"

Sebastian was a little unsure, but since this girl was older than Tiffany, she probably knew how to take better care of a pet. The girl carried Sebastian over to the bike rack, pulled a purple bicycle off of it, put Sebastian in the basket, and pedaled off. Sebastian sat back, and enjoyed the ride. It wasn't long before he reached his final destination. It was a one story brick house, on a street with a couple of houses just like it. The girl took Sebastian out of her bike basket, and ran up the porch steps. She took a key out of her pocket, unlocked the door, and ran in.

"Moooooom!" she called out. "Hey, Mom!"

"She's not home yet!" a voice called out from the kitchen. Moments later, a teenage girl with blond pigtails, wearing a blue shirt, darker blue skirt, and blue flats came into the room.

"Darn," the younger girl groaned.

"What's that?" the teenager asked. Then she groaned. "Ellen, you didn't bring home _another_ stray cat, did you?"

"So what if I did?" Ellen asked.

"You _know_ Mom and Dad said you couldn't have a cat."

"But he's so cute, and so friendly! Just look at him, Aimee!"

"Meow," Sebastian said, and he jumped into Aimee's arms, rubbing his face against her chin, and purring.

"See, Aimee?" Ellen said. "He likes you!"

"I don't care if he does or not," Aimee said, putting Sebastian down. "Mom and Dad won't let you keep him."

"They will so!" Ellen shouted. "Once they see how great he is!"

"Meow!" Sebastian mewed proudly. He sat up straight, and smiled. He could tell he was going to like Ellen right away. Aimee just sighed, and walked out of the room.

"Little sisters," she sighed. In retaliation, Ellen stuck her tongue out at her big sister, and then picked up Sebastian.

"Come on, kitty," she said. "What does dumb ol' Aimee know? Mom and Dad will just _love_ you!"

Sebastian started purring. He had a feeling he was going to like it here. For the entire day, Sebastian and Ellen seemed to be inseparable. And Ellen was a heck of a lot better to him than Tiffany was! While Tiffany's idea of playing with him involved sticking him in a frilly dress and pushing him around in a baby buggy, Ellen's idea of playing with him was dangling her shoelaces over his head, and rubbing his stomach. When he got tired of that, he jumped up on Ellen's bed, and curled up for a cat nap. Ellen began stroking him gently, causing him to start purring like an outboard motor.

"Let me see," she said. "What am I gonna call you?"

Sebastian tensed a little. He was dreading this moment. Ellen stroked his ears while she thought this over.

"Maybe I'll call you Tux," she said. "You _are_ a tuxedo cat, after all."

"Meow," Sebastian said. "Tux" wouldn't have been his ideal choice, but it was a heck of a lot better than "Mr. Fluffybottom."

Sebastian spent the rest of the day exploring his new would-be home. The house wasn't all that big. It contained three bedrooms (one master bedroom for the parents, Aimee's room, and Ellen's room), a living room, small dining room, small kitchen, a den, and a basement. The backyard featured a storage shed that resembled a barn, and a swimming pool and patio. Sebastian noted that the pool wasn't as big as the Cabots, but he wasn't much on swimming, anyway. And there was plenty of room to run around outside, and there were two maple trees and a dogwood out there as well, so he had a place to sharpen his claws. He just hoped Ellen's parents would give them their okay.

It wasn't until around five thirty that evening when Ellen's mother came home.

"I'm home!" she called.

"Mom!" Ellen shouted, and she raced to her mother giving her a gigantic hug. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"What a welcome," her mother said, laughing. "To what do I owe this sudden show of affection?"

"She found a cat at the park and wants to keep it," Aimee said.

"Not another one," the mother sighed. "Ellen, sweetie, we've _talked_ about this! You can't have a cat!"

"Why not?" Ellen asked. "He's so cute, and he needs a home! Please, Mom, can't I keep him?"

"He really isn't all that cute, Mom," Aimee said. "See?"

Sebastian came wandering into the room. He saw Ellen's mother, sat down, looked up at her, smiled, and meowed.

"Isn't he great?" Ellen asked. "Please Mom, please can't I keep him? Pretty please?"

"Well, let's wait until your father gets home," Ellen's mother said, checking the hall clock. "Which should be any minute now."

"I'm home!" Ellen's father said, opening the front door.

"Perfect timing," her mother said.

"Dad!" Ellen shouted, running to her father. "Dad, I found a lost cat in the park and he's really cute and he's really smart, and I really want to keep him, so can I, please?"

"Dad, you can't let her!" Aimee shouted. "She's _always_ bringing cats home, and you know they shed everywhere and they get into everything, and they scratch everything, and they hack up hairballs all over everything!"

"Hello to you too, girls," Ellen's father said, rolling his eyes. "What's this about a cat?"

"Dad, meet Tux," Ellen said, picking up Sebastian. "I found him at the park and he needs a home!"

"Ellen," her father said, calmly. "We've been over this time and time again. You can't have a cat. You know I don't like cats! They shed, they're too independent, they scratch everything in sight, and they don't do anything except eat and sleep."

"They keep mice away," Ellen pointed out.

"We don't _have_ mice," Aimee said.

"See?" Ellen said. "He's doing a good job already!"

"Ellen, I'm sorry, but you can't keep him," her father said. "And that's final!"

And with that, Ellen carried Sebastian out the front door, and put him on the sidewalk. Sebastian began walking down the street, feeling dejected. He liked it there with Ellen. Now it was back to square one all over again.


	8. Carnival Night

The Pussycats and their friends practically papered the whole town with the posters Valerie had made, but they didn't get any sort of phone call from anyone who might have seen him.

"I knew it was a stupid idea," Alexandra grumbled. "Nobody looks at missing pet posters!"

"It was just an idea," Valerie said, shrugging. "They've only been up for a few hours, Alexandra!"

"Yeah, sis," Alex said. "You can't expect someone to call right away!"

"Anyway, we have to look for Sebastian later," Josie said. "We have a gig at the carnival tonight."

"How can you think of playing a gig at a time like this?!" Alexandra shouted.

"Easy," Alex said. "I booked the Pussycats to play at the carnival before Sebastian pulled his disappearing act."

"Hmph," Alexandra grunted. "I ought to disown that stupid cat for this."

"Come on, Alexandra," Alan said. "Why don't you come to the carnival with us?"

"And listen to Josie's horrible music all night?" Alexandra asked. "I'll pass!"

"We're not going to be playing _all_ night, Alexandra," Josie said. "Come on. You need a night out. It'll take your mind of Sebastian."

"Oh . . . . . all right," Alexandra said, giving in. Then she looked over at Alan, and batted her eyelashes at him. "Maybe a ride in the tunnel of love with you will do the trick, Alan, dear."

"Uhhh . . . ." Alan said, stepping away from Alexandra. "We'll see, Alexandra."

"Even when she's having a crisis, she still makes a play for Alan," Alex said. "We've got to give her at least _some_ credit for that."

And with that, the Pussycats and their friends headed for the carnival in town. As usual, the Pussycats played for the crowd, and Alan, Alex, and Alexandra stood in the audience watching and listening.

"Hmph," Alexandra grumbled. "I don't understand it. _I_ should be the star of this act, instead of Josie! I'll show her. I'll bring the curtain down on this act here and now. Sebastian, you . . . . ."

Alexandra turned toward her cat, before she realized that Sebastian wasn't even there. She had forgotten he was gone. When she realized this, she started to leave.

"Hey, sis, where are you going?" Alex asked.

Alexandra didn't answer. She just walked away from the bandstand. She wandered to the midway, a little absently. She looked at all the games there, most of which had the prizes hung up on the booths. And just her luck, a few of the prizes were stuffed black and white cats.

"You really miss him, don't you?" a voice asked. Alexandra whirled around, and saw Josie standing there behind her.

"No I don't!" Alexandra shouted.

"Then why did you walk out in the middle of our show . . . . ."

"I couldn't stand the music any longer!"

"Without trying to sabotage it first? Come on, Alexandra, I've known you long enough to know your tricks and stunts and such."

"Yeah, well . . . . . you're wrong. I don't miss that old fleabag of a cat. Not one bit!"

"Do you really think I'm going to believe you? You're generally a liar. I've come to expect it from you."

Alexandra glared at Josie, and started walking away. Josie sighed, and followed her.

"Can't you for once swallow your pride and admit it?" she asked.

"I admit nothing!" Alexandra shouted. "Now leave me alone, Josie!"

"Come on, Alexandra. Let's go get something to eat before Valerie, Melody, and I have to go back on stage for our second set. My treat."

"Oh, all right."

Alexandra sighed, and followed Josie to a pizza stand. Once they got their food and a couple of sodas, the girls found a picnic table nearby and sat down.

"I've been wanting to ask this, Alexandra," Josie said. "Just how did you get Sebastian, anyway?"

"Oh, it was before you guys became a group," Alexandra said. "I wanted a cat, and I bugged my parents about it every chance I could. Well, Daddy finally caved in, and said I could have a cat."

"So what happened?"

"Actually, it was Alex who mentioned the animal shelter would be a lot cheaper than getting a cat at the pet store, so he and I went there the next day. What I really wanted was a kitten, and there were about five of them, all in one cage. They were from the same litter. Believe it or not, I couldn't decide on which one I wanted. Alex was getting a little testy with me, because we had taken them out of the cage so I could play with them a little, and they were crawling all over him. Anyway, while the other kittens were crawling all over my dumb brother, I found this little black kitten with white feet. It looked like he was the smallest in the litter, the runt, if you will. I noticed he had this white lightning bolt stripe on his forehead, that looked like the one in my hair. The minute I picked him up, I knew which kitten I wanted."

"Awww. That's actually a really sweet story, Alexandra."

"Yeah, well . . . ."

Alexandra shrugged, and picked at her pizza. Alan and Valerie came up to their table shortly afterwards.

"Hi, girls," Alan said.

"Hi, Alan," Josie said. "Hi, Val. Enjoying the carnival?"

"Yeah, it's real groovy," Valerie said. "Incidentally, have you two seen Melody and Alex?"

"Not since our first set," Josie said. "Oh wait a minute, here they come now."

"Hi, everybody!" Melody giggled.

"Where have you two been?" Alan asked.

"Oh, around," Alex said, shrugging.

"We went to a couple of game booths and on the merry-go-round," Melody said. "We went on a couple of other rides, too."

"What's that red stuff on your collar, Alex?" Josie asked.

"Oops," Melody said. "Sorry, Alex. I must have gotten lipstick on your collar while we were in the tunnel of love."

"Ahhh . . . . eh-heh," Alex said, clearing his throat. "That's okay, Melody."

"Why, Alexander Cabot the third, you sly devil," Alexandra said, teasingly, giving her brother a sly look. "You little dickens, you. I didn't know you had it in you. Do I detect wedding bells in the near future?"

"Come on, sis, cut it out!" Alex shouted. "Melody and I just went for a spin, that's all."

"A spin in the tunnel of love," Alexandra said, giving her brother a knowing look. "How else do you explain lipstick on your collar?"

"Keep it up, Alexandra," Alex said, sounding a bit peeved, "and I'll likely get hot under the collar . . . . ."

"Lipstick on your collar, told a tale on you-ooh . . . ." Alexandra sang.

Alan, Josie, and Valerie all exchanged glances, trying not to laugh. At least this was keeping Alexandra's mind of Sebastian. After all, there was nothing Alexandra enjoyed more than aggravating her brother.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Melody shouted. "Look what Alex won for me at the milk bottle toss!"

Melody then produced a stuffed black and white cat. The same one Alexandra had seen earlier.

"Doesn't it look _just_ like Sebastian?" Melody asked.

Alexandra then suddenly burst into tears, burying her face in her hands, surprising the others completely. They had never seen her like this before.

"Alexandra, what's the matter?" Melody asked.

"I think she's had enough of the carnival for one night," Josie said. "Why don't you take her home, Alex?"

"Yeah, good idea," Alex said, pulling his sister to her feet. "We'll see you girls later."

"Golly, did I do something wrong?" Melody asked.

"No, Melody," Valerie said. "I think Alexandra just misses Sebastian more than she wants to admit."

"Oh," Melody said. "Gee, maybe I shouldn't have shown her my cat, then."

As the Cabot twins were leaving the carnival, they got quite a lot of strange looks. Alexandra was practically bawling, and Alex was trying to calm her down, but it wasn't easy.

"Get a hold of yourself, Alexandra!" he hissed. "You're making a scene!"

"I don't care!" Alexandra wailed.

"Sis, _please_. You're making a fool of yourself, you know! Calm down!"

"I don't want to calm down! I want my Sebastian!"

"I know, I know. But _please_ try to pull yourself together! People are staring at us!"

Alexandra didn't even bother to try to pull herself together. Alex heaved a sigh. It wasn't very far from the fairgrounds to the Cabot Estate, but he felt it was going to be a long trip, anyway.

* * *

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: The song Alexandra teases Alex with is "Lipstick On Your Collar" by Connie Francis._


	9. Hospital Hijinks

The next morning, Sebastian found himself in another city, though it wasn't as busy as the one where he met Tough Tom. He wondered if he would have better luck here, though. As he was wandering around, he suddenly had the icky feeling he was being watched. He turned to look behind him, and saw an enormous bulldog there, growling.

"REEEEOOOWWW!" Sebastian shrieked, and he took off like a shot.

The bulldog barked loudly, and chased Sebastian down the street. Sebastian ducked into an alley, and through an open door. He peeked out, and saw the bulldog run right past it.

"Shew!" the cat sighed with relief.

Sebastian walked around, to see if he could figure out what kind of building he walked into. He realized he was in a hospital when he saw men wearing white coats, women wearing nurse's uniforms, and others wearing green scrubs walking back and forth. And he hoped they wouldn't notice him. Most hospitals didn't allow animals there. He crawled across the floor on his belly, hoping not to be noticed. Unfortunately, luck wasn't with him. As he was trying to figure out which way the exit was, an orderly rolled a gurney right over his tail.

"MEEEEEOOOOWWWW!" Sebastian shrieked.

"What the?" the orderly asked, jumping about five feet. "A cat?!"

Sebastian grinned, gave the orderly a wave goodbye, and took off running down the hall. The orderly ran after him. Pretty soon, several of the hospital's staff knew there was a cat loose in the hospital. Sebastian ducked into an elevator to hide. Though a hospital wasn't an ideal place to be, in his opinion, he didn't want to be tossed out on his rear, especially not when there was a bulldog out there with his name on it! Sebastian rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, where it stopped, and the doors opened. A couple of people got on, and he quickly snuck off.

"There's that cat!" a voice shouted. "Get him!"

"Yipe!" Sebastian shouted, and he took off running again, hoping he wasn't in the intensive care unit.

Sebastian ran down halls, and turned corners so fast, he hoped to lose whoever was on his tail, but he wasn't having much luck. Finally, he ducked into a hospital room, and dove underneath the bed, making sure none of him could be seen. The orderlies who had been chasing him ran right past the room, and Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to come out from under the bed so he could leave, when the door opened, and a doctor walked in. Once more, Sebastian slid underneath the bed. He tensed a little when he saw the doctor was coming straight for the bed he was hiding under, and then stopped right at it.

_Uh oh . . . ._ Sebastian thought, nervously.

"Good morning, Franky," the doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'd feel a lot better if I were out of here already," another voice said.

"I know, but all the tests I've performed on you are coming back the same. There isn't any improvement. It's been three weeks, Franky. I can't understand why you're not showing any signs of improvement."

"You think _I _understand it?" Franky asked. "Geesh . . . . I just want to go home!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Franky. You're not responding to any treatment. I'm afraid unless you start showing signs of improvement, you're going to be here for awhile."

Upon saying that, the doctor left the room. Sebastian heard Franky groan, and then shift position. Sebastian waited for about five minutes before he decided to sneak out, but before he did, he looked over at Franky, who was asleep at this time. He was a teenager, at least fifteen or sixteen, with black hair. Sebastian had to wonder what he was in for. He heard voices outside, and peered out, just for curiosity's sake. Two nurses were standing outside, discussing something.

"How's the McAlister case coming?" one asked.

"Dr. Harris says this is the most frustrating case he's ever seen," the other replied. "We don't know what he has, and he's not improving one bit. But if you ask me, Alma, I think he's just feeling lonely."

"What do you mean, Madge?"

"Hardly anyone comes in to visit him. He doesn't have parents or siblings, and this aunt of his can't visit often because she works. He only has two friends, and they're in school all day, plus they both have younger siblings they're in charge of. And when they _do_ come to visit, they can never stay long. Not to mention there aren't any other patients in that room for him to talk to."

"I think I see what you mean. The poor thing."

The two nurses walked down the hall and began gossiping about the other nurses. Sebastian looked over at Franky, and began to feel bad. Even though he knew he'd get in trouble, he figured he'd stick around for awhile. He walked over to the bed, and jumped onto it. Franky suddenly jolted up, startled out of about a year's growth.

"Hey, what the . . . ." he started, looking around.

"Meow," Sebastian said.

"Huh?" Franky asked, feeling confused. Then he started stroking Sebastian's back. "Hey, fella, where did you come from? How did you get into the hospital in the first place?"

"Meow," Sebastian said, and he began to rub his head against Franky's hand. Franky smiled, and began scratching the cat behind the ears.

"Well, wherever you came from, I don't really care," he said, stifling a yawn. "You're the first company I've had in weeks."

"Meow!" Sebastian replied. Then he curled up by Franky's side, and began kneading the mattress. Franky started petting him again, and fell asleep, with his hand resting on Sebastian's back. Sebastian purred contently, curled himself into a ball, and went to sleep as well. This was his good deed for the year.

Elsewhere, Alan, Josie, Valerie, and Melody went to the Cabot Estate, to check in. Alex was sitting on the front porch, looking like a train wreck.

"Rough night, Alex?" Valerie asked.

"The worst," Alex said. "I never thought I'd actually say this, but I'm actually starting to feel sorry for my sister. She was up all night bawling over Sebastian."

"I don't really blame her," Valerie said. "I had a dog once, when I was little, and I was devastated when he got hit by a car."

Moments later, Alexandra came out of the front door, looking like a worse train wreck than Alex! Her hair was completely disheveled, her eyes were red rimmed and watery, her face had tear tracks, and she was sniffling.

"Hi, Alexandra," Melody said. "How are you this morning?"

"How do I _look_?" Alexandra said, glaring at the blond.

"Pretty awful," Melody admitted.

"Then that's how I feel," Alexandra said, as she sat down next to her brother. "Sebastian's never been gone for this long before. I'm about ready to go out of my mind!"

"Yeah, nobody's called about the posters," Alex said.

"Oh, golly, it's all my fault," Melody said, sitting down on the other side of Alex. "I never should of yelled at him for ruining that sweater I was knitting."

"No, it's my fault," Alex sighed. "I shouldn't have beaten up on him."

"No," Alexandra said. "It's _my_ fault."

Everyone turned to Alexandra and looked at her as if she were nuts. They _never_ thought they'd hear _those_ words out of Alexandra's mouth!

"_What_ did you say?" Josie asked, incredulously.

"You heard me!" Alexandra snapped. "It's my fault Sebastian ran away!"

"I think it's a combination of all three of us, really," Alex said, standing up.

"Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do about it," Melody said. "Unless someone invents a time machine."

"Well," Valerie said, with a sigh. "Do you want to go out and look for him some more, Alexandra?"

"No," Alexandra said, as she stood up, and started to go back inside. "I'm a mess. I can't let anyone see me like this!"

"Maybe after you've calmed down a little, then?" Josie suggested.

"Yeah, whatever," Alexandra said, and she walked back inside, shutting the door behind her. The others could hear her start bawling again, however.

"Poor kid," Alex sighed. "She's a wreck!"

"I think we should keep looking," Josie said. "With or without Alexandra. I'm sure she'll feel a lot better if we find him."

"Good idea, Josie," Alan said. "Come on, everybody! We've got to find that cat!"


	10. An Unthinkable Suggestion

Franky woke up and stretched, finding Sebastian curled up next to him.

"Guess I wasn't dreaming after all," he said, stroking Sebastian's back. Sebastian woke up, yawned, and stretched himself.

"Meow," he said.

Sebastian heard footsteps coming. He jumped off the bed, and ducked underneath it. As soon as he did, the door opened, and Dr. Harris came in. Franky figured this was why Sebastian ran and hid. He knew animals weren't allowed in the hospital. And Franky wasn't about to snitch on the cat.

"Good morning, Franky," Dr. Harris said.

"Yeah, what's up, doc?" Franky asked.

"You seem to be in good spirits this morning."

"Yeah, well . . . . we gonna go through with the needle again?"

"Yep. You know I have to take these constant blood tests."

Dr. Harris took a syringe and stuck it into Franky's arm. Franky squeezed his eyes closed, turned his head away, and hissed in pain. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, it was needles. Sebastian could relate. He absolutely _hated_ getting shots himself. Didn't these doctors realize they hurt?! After Dr. Harris collected the blood sample from Franky, he left, and Sebastian jumped up onto the bed.

"Ugh," Franky groaned. "Day in and day out . . . . every day for three weeks straight, nothing but needles, pills, injections, and what have ya. And _they_ don't even know what's the matter with me! Let me tell ya something, kitty, this thing is a _drag_!"

"Mrow," Sebastian said, sympathetically. Franky began petting Sebastian, and the cat started purring.

"I know it's against the hospital policy," Franky said, "And we'll both wind up in trouble if someone finds you, but I'm glad you showed up. It gives me someone to talk to."

Sebastian rubbed himself up against Franky's arm, purring like a kitten. Franky smiled, and began scratching the cat behind the ears.

"I ought to give you a name," he said. He studied Sebastian carefully, trying to think of a good one. Sebastian hoped Franky wouldn't stick him with something stupid (such as "Mr. Fluffybottom").

"Let's see . . . ." Franky said. "Socks comes to mind . . . . but most everyone and their brother names cats with white feet Socks. Hey, I got it! You've got that lightning bolt on your forehead, so I'll call you Lightning."

_Lightning,_ Sebastian thought to himself. _Not bad. Not bad at all._

Sebastian meowed, and nodded, telling Franky he approved of the name. Franky smiled, and began petting the cat under his chin.

"You like it, huh?" he said. "That's great. I've always wanted a cat."

Sebastian closed his eyes, smiled, and purred contently. He could see where _this_ had definite possibilities.

Meanwhile, Alex was on the phone with the local humane society.

"I'm calling about a lost cat," he said. "My sister's cat. His name is Sebastian. Yeah, that's right. Describe him? Well, he's a tuxedo cat, and he's mostly black, and he's got black patches around his eyes, mostly white face, white feet, white tip on his tail . . . . . other special markings? Well, he's got this white lightning bolt shape between his eyes . . . . . and he snickers a lot . . . . . yeah, you heard me, I said he snickers. What's so funny? Look, I'm trying to help my sister find her cat, now are you gonna help me or . . . ."

Alex groaned and hung up. Alexandra looked at him, strangely.

"Well?" she asked.

"He wouldn't stop laughing after I told him that Sebastian snickers," Alex said.

"Hmph. A lot of help _they_ were!"

"Seriously. I'm gonna call the neighbors. Maybe they've seen him around or something."

Alexandra nodded, and left the room. She walked into the main hall of the estate, and looked out the window into the yard. She remembered the day she brought Sebastian home from the pound. The first thing the kitten did was run around the yard, trying to get himself familiar with his new home. One of the first things he investigated was a fountain in the middle of the yard, only to wind up falling into it. He had to be rescued by Alexandra after that.

Sebastian's first night at the Cabot Estate was also an interesting one. For one thing, he didn't want to go to sleep. He wanted to explore the big house. This only resulted in him getting lost, since the mansion was so huge, and it had so many rooms. He wound up sitting in the middle of a hallway, crying his head off. Once again, Alexandra came to his rescue. She picked up her kitten, and cradled him in her arms, and then took him back to her room.

Alexandra went back to her bedroom, and looked at one of the pictures on the wall. It was a portrait of her with Sebastian on her lap. She had paid a well-known artist to paint it for her. Then she picked up a photo from her dresser. It was one Alex had taken of her and Sebastian after she brought him home. In the photo, she was holding Sebastian in her hands, with his cheek against hers. She noticed that the photos on her dresser were mostly of her and Sebastian. She picked up another one, of Sebastian alone. A professional photographer had taken that one. Sebastian was sitting proudly, smiling sneakily at the camera. Alexandra took the picture, and sat down on the edge of her bed. Then she hugged it to her chest, and began crying all over again. She didn't didn't realize that she was being watched.

"See, Dad?" Alex said. "I told you, she's miserable!"

"Well, she and that cat _have_ practically been joined at the hip since she got him," Mr. Cabot said. "But I have just the solution to this problem. I say we go out and we buy her a new cat. A purebred, pedigree."

"You mean replace Sebastian?"

"Exactly."

"I don't think she'll go for that, Dad. See, Melody and I were talking about it the other day, and . . . ."

"Oh come now, Alex! Of course she will! Your sister enjoys the fine things in life! I still don't understand how she chose a mutt over a purebred, anyway! If we offer to buy her an expensive cat, she'll snap right out of it, I'm sure!"

"Oh yeah? Watch."

Alex walked into his sister's room, and knocked on the door (even though it was open, since Alexandra didn't like her brother barging in without knocking).

"Hey, sis," he said (knowing he was going to regret it). "I was just thinking. How'd you like it if we went out and bought you a purebred persian?"

"You mean replace Sebastian?" Alexandra asked.

"Exactly."

"_Are you out of your mind?!_"

Alexandra jumped up, tackled her brother to the ground, and began pounding him. Not only did she throw punches at him, but she grabbed his shoulders, and started banging his head against the floor. Thankfully, Mr. Cabot put a stop to it, by grabbing his daughter by her shoulders, and pulling her off her brother before she wound up killing him.

"Alexandra!" he shouted. "What's the matter with you?!"

"How _dare_ you!" Alexandra shouted at Alex. "How dare you even _imply_ I should just up and replace Sebastian! He can _not_ be replaced!"

Alex said nothing, and staggered to his feet, though extremely dazed and dizzy. He was seeing stars at this point. Alexandra practically beat him black and blue.

"See what I mean?" he asked, somewhat dazedly. "Ooohhh . . . . I need an Aspirin."

And with that, Alex staggered down the hall. Alexandra glared at him, stormed into her room, and slammed the door shut. Then she started sobbing. Mr. Cabot sighed.

"What did I ever do to deserve kids like these?" he asked himself.


	11. Decsions

Josie, Valerie, Melody, and Alan dropped by the Cabot Estate a little later in the day. The Cabots' butler directed them to Alex's room, where the gang found him laying on his bed, holding an ice bag over his eyes.

"Alex, are you all right?" Josie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alex said. "Alexandra just cleaned my clock, that's all."

"Oh, she must be feeling better!" Melody exclaimed.

"Far from it," Alex said. "My dad suggested we go out and buy another cat, and he wouldn't believe me when I told him Alexandra wouldn't go for it. One thing's for sure, Melody, you were right about that theory of yours!"

"You mean you suggested to Alexandra that she replace Sebastian?" Valerie asked.

"Yeah, I was trying to prove a point to my dad," Alex said. "Boy, did Alexandra _ever_ clobber me for _that_ suggestion!"

"Well, we're not having much luck finding him," Alan said. "We've been all around town, and nobody's seen him."

"We even went to all the popular cat hot spots," Valerie said. "I know Sebastian's been known to hang around some of them."

"A lot of your neighbors haven't seen him, either," Josie said. "As a matter of fact, a lot of them seemed happy Sebastian was gone."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Alex said. "We get complaints about Sebastian's antics almost once every week."

"I don't have any other ideas on what to do," Valerie said.

"Wait a minute!" Alex shouted, sitting up, and snapping his fingers. "Why didn't I think of this before?"

Alex then jumped up, and grabbed his phone. The others looked at him, oddly.

"Hey, Alex, how about cluing us in?" Alan asked.

"Linda!" Alex shouted, as he started dialing.

"Who's Linda?" Josie asked.

"My cousin," Alex said. "She _adores_ Sebastian! If he's anywhere, then he _has_ to be with her!"

"It's worth a shot," Alan said.

"Yeah," Alex said. "Because I don't know where else he . . . . . hi, Linda, it's Alex. Listen, Sebastian's pulled a disappearing act on us all of a sudden, and we figured he found his way over to your place. He _isn't_?! Gee, I thought for _sure_ he'd be there! Well, thanks anyway. If you do happen to see him, let us know, okay? Yeah, Alexandra's becoming completely unglued over him. Great, thanks. Bye. Well, that was a bust."

"She hasn't seen him, huh?" Valerie asked, as Alex hung up.

"Nope," Alex sighed. "There goes my last idea."

"I guess we're going to have to throw in the towel," Alan said, shrugging.

"I still think he'll come back on his own," Melody said. "After all, Sebastian's a smart cat."

"If he's so smart, how come he's hung around my sister for so long?" Alex asked.

"Alex!" Josie shouted in a scolding tone, swatting him in the arm.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Alex said, shrugging.

"Anyway, I think that's about all we can do," Alan said.

"Yeah," Valerie agreed. "Wait for Sebastian to come back on his own. If he decides to come back at all."

The others nodded. They didn't know what else they were going to do.

The next morning, Sebastian woke up, yawned, stretched, and pawed at Franky's shoulder. Franky woke up, looked at Sebastian, smiled, and began petting him.

"You've got to be some kind of miracle drug, Lightning," he said. "I'm feeling a heck of a lot better since you showed up."

"Meow," Sebastian said, purring.

"Hopefully I'll get to go home soon. And once I tell my Aunt Tillie about this, she's sure to let me keep you!"

Sebastian meowed happily, and started purring harder. This sounded good to him.

"My friends and I thinking about starting a rock group," Franky went on. "You could be our mascot!"

Sebastian stopped purring abruptly upon hearing that. He suddenly began thinking about the Pussycats. He didn't want to admit it, but he was actually starting to miss them. He began sniffling a little, and that built up to a wail.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Franky asked. "You _do_ want to go home with me, don't you?"

Sebastian just wailed louder. Franky didn't understand it, but then it hit him.

"You have another owner, don't you?" he asked. Sebastian sniffled, and nodded.

"I see," Franky said, stroking Sebastian's back. "You must've wandered away from your other owner, or you ran away for some reason. I guess you miss them, huh?"

Sebastian thought this over for a few minutes. He really liked Franky, and he _did_ want to go home with him after he was discharged. But he was starting to miss Alexandra and the others. He wondered if they even missed him. He began to weigh each option, and it only resulted in him bursting into tears. He couldn't figure out what he really wanted. He stopped his wailing abruptly, when he heard footsteps coming toward the room. He immediately dove underneath the bed, just as Dr. Harris came into the room.

"Well, Franky, I've got good news," he said. "You've shown great improvement in the last couple of days. We just want to monitor you a little more, and if all goes well, you'll be able to go home by the end of the week."

"Hey, great!" Franky shouted.

_Yeah, great,_ Sebastian thought. _But do I really want to go with him, or do I want to go back home?_

Dr. Harris left after a few minutes. Once he was gone, Sebastian crawled out from under the bed, and looked at Franky. Franky looked down at the cat, and sighed.

"It's up to you, Lightning," he said. "You can go back to your old owner if you want to, but I wish you'd come home with me."

Sebastian sighed, and began walking out the door. Franky figured Sebastian was choosing his old owners. The cat was able to sneak out of the hospital undetected, and was about to go down the street, when he looked up at the fourth floor window, and saw Franky there, watching him.

_What's going to happen if I leave?_ he thought, looking at the teenage boy. _What if I really am sort of a miracle drug to him? What if he has a relapse? I can't leave him now. He needs me!_

And with that, Sebastian raced back into the hospital, and up to the fourth floor to Franky's room, and practically flung himself into the boy's arms, rubbing against him.

"Wow, you live up to the name I gave you, that's for sure!" Franky shouted. "I guess this means you want to come with me, huh?"

Sebastian nodded his head, but he was still a little unsure about his decision. Franky seemed to sense this, and he began stroking the cat from ears to tail.

"I've got an idea, Lightning," he said. "Why don't you go back to your old home so you can say goodbye to your friends. I'm probably not going to be getting out of here for another week, and someone's bound to find out you're here if you stick around. Then you can come meet me at my aunt's place, okay?"

Sebastian nodded, and meowed. That sounded good to him. He could at least see if the gang missed him, and he could officially say goodbye to them. He hopped out of Franky's arms, and started to make his way back to the Cabot Estate. He knew it was going to be a long trip.


	12. So Long Old Friend

Morning rolled around. Alex was on his way to the dining room for breakfast when he heard something going on in the study. It sounded like someone using a typewriter. Alex looked in, and gasped. Then he ran for the stairs.

"Alexandra!" he yelled. "Alexandra, get down here! Now!"

"What is it, Alex?" Alexandra asked, sounding irritated, as she came out of her bedroom.

"Get down here and meet me in the study!" Alex shouted.

Alexandra grumbled, and went back into her room to get her robe. Once she put it on, she went downstairs to the study.

"So what's going on, brother?" she asked.

"Look!" Alex shouted, opening the door. Alexandra looked inside, and gasped herself. There, sitting on their father's desk, was Sebastian, typing away on the typewriter. He had arrived at the estate early that morning. When he left the hospital, he had wandered to a truck depot, and he recognized a truck that belonged to Cabot Industries. And, as luck would have it, the truck was heading back to Midvale. So, he hitched a ride on it, and got off when the truck stopped at a red light that was within walking distance to the Cabot Estate.

"Sebastian!" Alexandra shouted, running inside the room, and scooping the cat into her arms, then she began kissing him.

"Sebastian, sweetie, you're back!" she shouted, hugging her feline friend. "I'm so happy to see you, my darling little kitty! Do you realize what you put me through?!"

"Alexandra, seriously," Alex groaned. Then he started rubbing the side of Sebastian's face. "Where've you been. Sebastian? We were worried sick about you!"

"Meeyoorrow!" Sebastian shouted, squirming a bit. Alexandra got the hint, and she put him down. Immediately, the cat went back to the typewriter, and continued typing.

"Did you know he knew how to use a typewriter?" Alex asked.

"Heh," Alexandra said. "_Nothing_ that cat does will surprise me. Come on, Alex. Let's go get Sebastian some breakfast."

"Yeah, I'll bet anything he's starving."

The twins were about to leave the study, when Sebastian pulled the paper he was typing on out of the typewriter, and ran toward them. He held the paper out toward Alexandra.

"What in the world is this?" she asked. Then she started reading. "I, Sebastian, being of sound mind, do bequeath to Alexandra Cabot, my previous owner . . . . . previous owner?!"

Alexandra looked at Sebastian and glared at him. Sebastian just turned away from her. Alexandra rolled her eyes, and continued.

"My best wishes for the future," she read. "I also give my best wishes to my other friends, Josie McCoy, Melody Valentine, Valerie Brown, Alan Mayberry, and Alexander Cabot, the third. This being said, I wish to say my goodbyes, and return to Franky McAlister, a boy I met in my travels, who needs me. _What?! _You just got back, and now you're leaving again?! Who is this Franky McAlister?! How could you _do_ this to me, Sebastian?! How could you?!"

Sebastian didn't say anything. He just stood up on his hind legs, and hugged Alexandra around hers.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" Alexandra asked. "You're trying to get back at me for yelling at you, aren't you? You're not really leaving . . . . are you?"

Sebastian turned away again, and pulled a small suitcase out from behind the desk. Inside of it was a can of tuna, an old catnip mouse, and his food bowl.

"You . . . . you're _not_ kidding?" Alexandra asked. Sebastian just shook his head and meowed.

"But . . . . you . . . . . I . . . ." Alexandra stammered. She didn't know what in the world hit her. She stammered a little, and then fainted. Alex caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Oh boy . . . ." he said. He dragged his sister down the hall and into the lounge, where he laid her on the couch. Then he raced over to the phone.

"I've gotta call the others," he said. Then he turned to Sebastian. "Do me a favor, Sebastian. Don't do anything until I've had a chance to talk to the gang, okay?"

"Meow," Sebastian said, nodding.

Within fifteen minutes, Alex had informed the gang of Sebastian's plan. Melody came up with the idea of throwing a goodbye party for Sebastian, and the others thought it was a good idea. Ten minutes after Alex had talked to the others, they were all at the Cabot Estate's ballroom, setting up for the party. Mr. Cabot couldn't understand it.

"All this trouble for a cat," he said.

"Sebastian's more than a cat to us, Mr. Cabot," Melody said, as she and Alex hung a banner above a table. "He's one of the gang. In fact, he's family!"

"Well, the way you, Josie, and Valerie are dressed, I'd definitely have to agree," Mr. Cabot said. Josie, Melody, and Valerie were wearing their Pussycat costumes, since they were going to perform a song for Sebastian.

"I think we're set," Alex said. "All we have to do is wait for Alexandra to bring our guest of honor."

"Guest of honor," Mr. Cabot groaned. "For heavens sake, Alexander, you and your sister get nuttier every day! You certainly don't get this from _my_ side of the family! Throwing a going away party for a cat. Good grief!"

"Daddy, please!" Alexandra shouted, as she came into the room, carrying Sebastian in her arms. "Sebastian's family!"

"All right, all right," Mr. Cabot sighed. "I'll humor you."

Alexandra nodded, and put Sebastian down on the table. The others took their own seats. Alex then stood up, and walked up to a small podium the gang had set up next to Sebastian's spot at the table.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" he said. "We are gathered here together at this farewell party to pay tribute and say goodbye to a very close friend."

"Is this trip really necessary?" Mr. Cabot asked.

"Daddy!" Alexandra shouted, in somewhat of a scolding tone. Valerie stood up then.

"I'd like to say a few words," she said, as she walked to the podium. "Sebastian is more than a mascot to the band. He is also more than just a pet. He is a good friend. I know I'm going to miss him, and his mischievous antics. I'd like to offer a little token of my esteem."

Valerie handed Sebastian a box then. Sebastian tore the wrapping paper off, and found a box of his favorite snack, Kitty Krunchies. He meowed, and rubbed against Valerie's hand. Valerie pet him, and went back to her seat. Melody stood up next, and walked over to the podium.

"What can I say about Sebastian?" she asked. "He's the smartest, cutest, most wonderful cat I've ever known. He's the only cat I know who can pick a lock, and snicker. I'm going to miss you, Sebastian."

Melody then picked up Sebastian, and gave him a hug, and a kiss on the nose. Then she put him down, and handed him a box. Sebastian opened it, and found a blue kitty sweater. It was extremely soft, and it didn't have any stupid looking design on it. It was just a plain, blue kitty sweater.

"I started knitting that when you left," Melody said. "I just finished it yesterday. Wear it in good health, Sebastian."

Sebastian meowed, and rubbed up against Melody. Melody sniffled, stroked Sebastian's back, and sat back down. Josie looked over at Alexandra, and gave her a nudge.

"What?" Alexandra asked.

"Aren't you going to get up there and say something?" Josie asked.

"Oh, all right," Alexandra said. She stood up, and walked over to the podium. But once she got there, she found herself to be at a loss for words. Sebastian just looked at her, waiting to see if she was going to say something.

"Well . . . ." Alexandra said, finally. "Uhh . . . . sheesh. You stupid cat."

Sebastian figured Alexandra was going to say something like that. He wasn't insulted by it. As a matter of fact, upon hearing it, he started meowing, like he was crying. With that, Josie, Valerie, and Melody went to their instruments, and played their song. Once they were finished, Josie walked over to Sebastian, and gave him a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, Sebastian," she said, as she handed him a present. "You're one great cat."

Sebastian sniffled, and opened Josie's gift, which was a package of those plastic balls with bells inside. He rubbed up against Josie and meowed. Alan came up to him next, and shook his paw.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you, Sebastian," he said, handing Sebastian a package. Sebastian opened it, and found a package of fuzzy catnip mice. He rubbed against Alan, and meowed.

"I really hate to see you go, Sebastian," Alex said, scratching Sebastian behind the ears. "You may drive us all crazy, but you're still part of the gang."

Sebastian meowed, and rubbed against Alex's arm. Then he opened Alex's farewell gift, which were a couple of cans of Sebastian's favorite gourmet cat food.

"I figure this kid you're going to live with had better know what to feed you," Alex said.

"Meow," Sebastian said.

"I still think all of this is just plain ridiculous," Mr. Cabot grumbled. "But what the heck. So long, Sebastian. I'd present you with a gold watch, but you wouldn't know what in the world to do with one. Anyway, all the best, and don't take any wooden catnip mice."

"_Dad_dy!" Alexandra shouted, rolling her eyes. Then she sighed, and gave her own gift to Sebastian.

"Here," she said. Sebastian opened Alexandra's gift, and found two CD's. One was the soundtrack of the musical, _Cats_, and the other was a compilation of songs about cats. There was also a rhinestone collar with a gold tag on it.

"Just so your new owner doesn't forget your status," Alexandra said. "You may be a scruffy old cat, but you're still _my_ scruffy old cat."

"Meow," Sebastian said. He stood up on his hind legs, and gave Alexandra a hug.

After the party was over, Alex and Alexandra helped Sebastian pack up his suitcase. Then, Alexandra carried Sebastian to the front gate, rubbing her finger under his chin. Once at the gate, Alexandra put him down, and Alex handed him his suitcase. Sebastian shook Alex's hand, hugged Alexandra around her legs, and then walked off.

"I hope that kid he's going to live with knows what he's getting into," Alex said.

"Yeah," Alexandra said, absently. Then she turned and walked back toward the mansion.

It wasn't easy for Alexandra to get used to not having Sebastian around. She kept expecting to see him every time she looked at one of his usual napping places. She even started to open a cat of cat food for him before she realized he had left.

"It'll take some time to get used to your cat being gone, precious," Mr. Cabot said. "I know you miss him, but you'll get used to it."

"Who says I miss him?" Alexandra asked. And with that, she stormed away.

"Hi, sis," Alex said, as he came down the hall.

"Shut up and get out of my way!" Alexandra shouted, shoving her brother in the shoulder.

"She puts up a pretty good front, doesn't she?" Alex asked.

"That she does, son," Mr. Cabot said, nodding. "That she does."


	13. Welcome Home

That night, Alexandra found she just couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, and even resorted to counting sheep, but nothing was working. She sat up, and looked in the corner of her room, which was where Sebastian's cat bed was. It was strange for her to see it empty. Finally, she sighed, got up, put on her robe, and walked downstairs into the kitchen. She noticed the light was already on when she got there. When she walked in, she found her brother sitting at the table, with a plate of Oreo cookies in front of him.

"Hiya, sis," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Alexandra asked.

"Same as you," Alex said, shrugging. "Couldn't sleep."

Alexandra sat down, and Alex slid the plate toward her. She picked one up, but just held it. Alex wasn't eating them, either. He was just twisting them open, and crumbling the cookie with his fingers, absently. It was obvious neither of them were very hungry.

"You miss him as much as I do, don't you?" Alexandra asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "I mean, sure, he's _your_ cat, but still, he's part of the family. I mean, I was with you when you adopted him from the pound. He'd sleep on my lap from time to time, not to mention he'd sleep on my bed as well."

"There must be something to that old phrase, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"You said it, sis."

That was about all the twins had to say then. They sat there for a few more minutes, then cleaned up the cookie crumbs (if they left the cookies out, they would have attracted ants, and not only would their mother would likely kill them if she found ants in the mansion, the servants would, as well), and went back to their rooms to try to get some sleep. After about five minutes, Alexandra got up again, and knocked on her brother's door.

"Alex, are you asleep yet?" she asked.

"No," Alex said. "What's the matter?"

"This isn't easy for me to ask this. But do you think maybe you could get your sleeping bag and camp out in my room?"

Alex sighed, got up, and went to his closet to dig out his sleeping bag. He was only going to humor his sister, because he knew she wasn't used to sleeping without someone else in the room with her.

"Thanks, brother," she said, once she and Alex went back to her room.

"You're welcome," Alex said.

Alexandra crawled into bed, and closed her eyes, hoping she would get at least a _little_ sleep. Alex was tempted to make some cat noises, like Sebastian would when he was sleeping, but he figured that might only irritate his sister, and cause her to pound him. That, and he didn't really feel like teasing her. She was miserable enough as it was. He wasn't about to kick her when she was this down. Instead, he reached up, grabbed his sister's hand, and squeezed it, gently.

"It'll be okay, sis," he said. "We'll get through this."

"Thanks, Alex," Alexandra said.

Morning rolled around. Sebastian was wandering the streets of the city of Megatropolis, looking for the Shady Grove Apartment complex. That was where Franky lived with his guardian, Mathilda "Tillie" Templeton. Once he found the building, Sebastian found the buzzer for the apartment number. He had to climb up a potted palm in order to reach the button, but he managed, and pushed it. Then he jumped down, and waited, though he was still wondering if he made the right decision. As he was waiting, he noticed a sign on the wall: "No Animals Allowed In This Building." When he saw this sign, Sebastian began jumping up and down, meowing happily. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and Franky came out.

"Hi, Lightning!" he shouted, picking up the tuxedo cat. "Glad you finally made it! Aunt Tillie's upstairs in the apartment. I can't wait for her to meet you! And I can't want to introduce you to my friends!"

Sebastian tapped Franky's arm with his paw, and then pointed at the "No Animals Allowed" sign. Franky looked at it, and smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Holy Mesopotamia, I completely _forgot_ about that!" he shouted. "I forgot the apartment has a no pet policy!"

Sebastian shrugged, jumped out of Franky's arms, shook his hand, grabbed his suitcase, and ran off. But before he could get far, he stopped, and turned back toward Franky.

"Don't worry about me, Lightning," Franky said. "I'll be fine. Maybe it's for the best, anyway, considering you weren't sure if you wanted to come live with me or go back to your old owner. I think you'd rather go back to your old owner, anyway."

Sebastian put his suitcase down, ran back toward Franky, gave him a hug around the legs, and ran off.

_He's a good kid, _he thought.

Elsewhere, Alexandra, Josie, Valerie, Melody, and Alan were sitting around the Cabot Estate, not really doing anything. Alexandra wasn't in the mood.

"I know this isn't a good opportunity to ask this," Valerie said, "but have you even thought of getting another cat, Alexandra?"

"No way," Alexandra said. "I'm through with cats. I don't want to go through this whole thing _ever_ again!"

"I don't blame you," Melody said. "Incidentally, where's Alex?"

"Oh, I don't know," Alexandra said. "He went out for a walk or something. If he comes back here with another kitten, I'll clobber him!"

"Well, going out for a walk sounds like a good idea," Josie said, standing up. "Come on, Alexandra. The fresh air will do you good."

Alexandra sighed, and stood up. The others did the same, and left the estate. Alexandra figured she might as well. She didn't have anything else to do.

Meanwhile, Alex was walking along downtown when he stopped at the pet store. The little tuxedo kitten he and Melody had seen days before was still there. It waddled up to the window, stood up on it's hide legs, pressing it's front paws against it, and meowed. Alex was tempted to go inside and buy it for his sister, but he decided against it.

"No, if I bring her a kitten, especially one that looks like Sebastian, she'll clobber me," he said, and he kept on walking so the cuteness of that little kitten wouldn't tempt him (though it wasn't easy!)

Alex walked around a little more, not really paying attention to where he was going. He passed the butcher shop, and saw a black and white cat sitting in front of the window, staring into it. Alex knew the butcher shop was one of Sebastian's hang outs, and it drove the butcher out of his mind. Alex was about to go on his way, when he stopped. That black and white cat looked awfully familiar. He looked back at it, and noticed there was a suitcase sitting next to it. The cat turned, picked up his suitcase, and started walking away on his hind legs.

"Sebastian?!" Alex asked, incredulously. The black and white cat turned around, and sure enough it _was_ Sebastian!

"Meow!" Sebastian cried, happily. He dropped his suitcase, and ran directly for Alex, jumping into his arms, nearly knocking Alex to the ground. Then he immediately began licking Alex's face.

"Boy, am I glad to see you, Sebastian!" Alex shouted, stroking the cat from ears to tail. "Come on, let's go find the others!"

Alex grabbed Sebastian's suitcase, and ran off down the street. They didn't have to go far to find the others, though. He ran into them shortly afterwards.

"Hey, gang!" he called out. "Guess who's back!"

"Huh?" Alexandra asked.

"Look!" Alan shouted. "It's Sebastian!"

"Sebastian?" Melody asked.

"He's back?" Josie asked.

"He's back!" Valerie shouted, and she and the others immediately ran for Alex and Sebastian. Melody got there first, and she scooped Sebastian up and gave him a hug.

"Hi, Sebastian!" she giggled, and then kissed the feline's nose.

"What are you doing back here?" Valerie asked. "Did you change your mind?"

"Meow," Sebastian said, nodding.

"We're glad you're back, Sebastian," Josie said, taking him from Melody. "It just wasn't the same without you around."

"You said it, Josie," Valerie said, scratching Sebastian behind the ears. "You're definitely one of a kind, Sebastian."

"Come here, you crazy cat," Alexandra said, taking her cat from Josie. "Just to make sure, are you _really_ back to stay, or are you just teasing me?"

"Mrow!" Sebastian shouted. He crawled up on Alexandra's shoulders, and rubbed his head against hers, purring like a kitten. He even gave her face a couple of licks.

"All right, all right, I'm convinced!" Alexandra shouted. "Knock it off, you fur-brained feline!"

"Meow!" Sebastian shouted, and climbed off Alexandra's shoulders, and into her arms. Alexandra sighed, laughed, and gave him a hug.

"You stupid cat," she said, nuzzling the side of Sebastian's head. Sebastian began purring like an outboard motor.

"Welcome home, Sebastian," Alex said, scratching behind Sebastian's ears.

_Dorothy was right,_ Sebastian thought to himself. _There really _is_ no place like home._

The End


End file.
